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Archive 2013 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

MalbikEndar
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

Headline from nikonrumors.com....

Df is short in Japan but not the US.

I have been thinking that maybe Nikon knows (and designs mostly for) its home market. Small, new, and trendy appearance may sell better there than outside Japan and Asia.

If so- if Nikon makes what you want- it may be by accident rather than design.

Dec 13, 2013 at 08:13 AM

CGrindahl
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I rather doubt a company serving photographers around the world would pitch its products toward a narrow segment of the market, even if it were its country of origin. If Nikon doesn't serve a segment of its market it may be because it is too small to attend to… i.e. Andre's need for a D400…

They may be dead wrong about the Df but my guess is they hope to satisfy everyone around the world who wants a "small, new and trendy appearance" while tickling the fancy of a few old farts who long for bygone days and are willing to overlook the limitations of the camera for "the look." We'll find out…

Dec 13, 2013 at 08:30 AM

molson
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

Dec 13, 2013 at 08:46 AM

sandycrane
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I really like the concept of "form follows function".
Not so much "function follows form".
Is the Df the PT Cruiser of cameras?

Dec 13, 2013 at 08:50 AM

CGrindahl
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

sandycrane wrote:
I really like the concept of "form follows function".
Not so much "function follows form".
Is the Df the PT Cruiser of cameras?

OUCH!

Even if I buy one I think you hit the nail on the head. I would mention however, that my neighbor Bob bought a PT Cruiser but only after selling his chopped and channeled Model T with a fuel injected Chevy with a huge chrome blower on top that he built himself. I guess he decided he didn't want to spend his time tinkering with a classic hotrod any longer. Now he rebuilds old bicycle instead. He looks pretty cool driving down the street in his PT Cruiser...

Dec 13, 2013 at 09:12 AM

CGrindahl
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

molson wrote:
I guess you've never heard of Pentax, then?

Do they make cameras?

Dec 13, 2013 at 09:13 AM

VinnieJ
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

CGrindahl wrote:
They may be dead wrong about the Df but my guess is they hope to satisfy everyone around the world who wants a "small, new and trendy appearance" while tickling the fancy of a few old farts who long for bygone days and are willing to overlook the limitations of the camera for "the look." We'll find out…

Best high-iso performing 35mm camera on the market. That's a limitation I can live with!

Dec 13, 2013 at 09:20 AM

JoshI
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

CGrindahl wrote:
I rather doubt a company serving photographers around the world would pitch its products toward a narrow segment of the market, even if it were its country of origin.

I don't know about that, the Nikon 1 seems a pretty clear indication that things do happen that way sometimes. I kinda doubt anyone in Melville looked at the J1 and said "man, this thing is gonna kill it here."

Now, why they'd develop an FX DSLR specifically for the Asian market is beyond me when all the relevant sales data says the larger DSLR markets are Europe and the US and that DSLR sales are falling steadily in Asia. My guess is they developed it because it was a cheap, easy iteration of the D600 platform with a high profit margin. Tack on the added bonus of bringing down the unit cost of the 16mp sensor and you have a winner if it sells in volume.

Dec 13, 2013 at 09:27 AM

sandycrane
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

Curtis,
I find it hard to believe that a body design based on film transport and a rat's nest of mechanical linkages could somehow be reborn as an efficient modern digital camera. I think a Sony a7 or a7r would better suit you, although you would then be banned from your own mammoth, long running, magnificent thread.

Sandy.

Dec 13, 2013 at 10:15 AM

CGrindahl
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

VinnieJ wrote:
Best high-iso performing 35mm camera on the market. That's a limitation I can live with!

Sounds like a buyer to me…

Enjoy your new camera Vinnie.

Dec 13, 2013 at 11:13 AM

CGrindahl
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

sandycrane wrote:
Curtis,
I find it hard to believe that a body design based on film transport and a rat's nest of mechanical linkages could somehow be reborn as an efficient modern digital camera. I think a Sony a7 or a7r would better suit you, although you would then be banned from your own mammoth, long running, magnificent thread.

Sandy.

I've not placed an order Sandy and I certainly agree that form ideally follows function, as they taught when I studied architecture eons ago. Of course I vaguely remember an architect who was famous for creating facades for his buildings that had nothing to do with what was behind the facade. Perhaps the Df is a work of art masquerading as a camera…

And you're right, of course, it would be difficult from me to abandon all those friends on the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread. I trust that I'll eventually find a camera to replace my D700, but until then I'll enjoy how it handles all that classic glass.. Sony will have to wait until next lifetime...

Dec 13, 2013 at 11:20 AM

molson
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

CGrindahl wrote:
Do they make cameras?

Not for much longer, from the sounds of things... perhaps Nikon should pay attention to that lesson before it's too late.

Dec 13, 2013 at 12:09 PM

williamkazak
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I have noticed the new Nikon Df but I wonder what all of those dials on the top are all about? Is that a "good function"?

Dec 13, 2013 at 02:26 PM

douter
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

My source hasn't told me my copy is available yet, so where are they all in the U.S.?
Douglas

Dec 13, 2013 at 02:44 PM

snapsy
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

douter wrote:
My source hasn't told me my copy is available yet, so where are they all in the U.S.?
Douglas

Both body-only colors are in-stock at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-1526-FX-Format-Digital-3-2-Inch/dp/B00GD1KASM
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-1525-FX-Format-Digital-3-2-Inch/dp/B00GD1K8J8

Dec 13, 2013 at 02:55 PM

BrianVS
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I am Stylish and Trendy! Wow! I never knew that.

I even bought a tie in the 1980s. I'm not buying another one. That one still fits.

Dec 13, 2013 at 05:44 PM

Bruce Sawle
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

There is always a shortage of all Nikon equipment.

Dec 13, 2013 at 06:07 PM

onimod
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

JoshI wrote:
I don't know about that, the Nikon 1 seems a pretty clear indication that things do happen that way sometimes. I kinda doubt anyone in Melville looked at the J1 and said "man, this thing is gonna kill it here."

Now, why they'd develop an FX DSLR specifically for the Asian market is beyond me when all the relevant sales data says the larger DSLR markets are Europe and the US and that DSLR sales are falling steadily in Asia. My guess is they developed it because it was a cheap, easy iteration of the D600 platform with a high profit...Show more →

I would be absolutely shocked if Nikon don't have a contingency plan in the bottom drawer that revolves a complete retreat to Japan.
That's just my understanding of Japanese culture and business.
Sure there is more money elsewhere, but all the money in the world but that will never outweigh their performance at 'home'.

Dec 14, 2013 at 01:59 AM

pmac1985
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I don't know about that, the Nikon 1 seems a pretty clear indication that things do happen that way sometimes. I kinda doubt anyone in Melville looked at the J1 and said "man, this thing is gonna kill it here."

Now, why they'd develop an FX DSLR specifically for the Asian market is beyond me when all the relevant sales data says the larger DSLR markets are Europe and the US and that DSLR sales are falling steadily in Asia. My guess is they developed it because it was a cheap, easy iteration of the D600 platform with a high profit margin....Show more →

JoshI wrote:
I would be absolutely shocked if Nikon don't have a contingency plan in the bottom drawer that revolves a complete retreat to Japan.
That's just my understanding of Japanese culture and business.
Sure there is more money elsewhere, but all the money in the world but that will never outweigh their performance at 'home'.

I would be interested to see the sales data pointing to the asian market falling..the chinese market has more demand for products and spending than any in the world I would expect. Every year I visit china I see more and more dslrs being used and I don't mean low end models. I've never seen so many d800/5dmk3 cameras in the uk.
The amount of money in this country now is staggering.

I believe this is very much the japanese culture and business idea.
My other hobby is airsoft, now there are loads of companies producing stuff from china/hk and Taiwan as well as japan.
But for years the biggest(and still the best in many's view) was a japanese company all there items were tailored around the japanese market(models,materials and power) they don't even ship outside of japan and have stated the could not careless about the world wide market. You have to go through different tier stockists to even get ahold of there items.Japanese thinks about japan first.

Dec 14, 2013 at 04:13 AM

JoshI
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Nikon Japan reports shortage of Df cameras

I would be interested to see the sales data pointing to the asian market falling

It's CIPA data. 61% of DSLRs were shipped to Europe and the US in the last 10 months or so. Europe alone sells almost as many DSLRs as Japan and all of the rest of Asia combined. The percentage of DSLRs shipped to Japan and Asia has fallen over the last two years. Couple that with the fact that we know that fewer DSLRs were shipped (18% fewer) this year than last worldwide and you can conclude that DSLR sales are falling in Asia just like the rest of the world (not only that, they're falling quicker than in the US and Europe).

Josh

Dec 14, 2013 at 08:24 AM


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